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Probatur Temporis Liber Probatur Temporis Vol I Edited by Brother AMB The Alchemist’s Guild © Page 2 Version Notice v5.1 - 15/5/2000 (first edition 1990) Alchemists Guild NZ © (The Black Book – First Standard edition) The Alchemist’s Guild © Page 3 Orientation This course of study in Hermeticism stretches over a set of ten volumes. Named below: Vol I Probatur Temporis (Temporary trial - Probation) Vol II Probatur totus (Completion of Probation) Vol III Ars Imperium Mens (The Art of Controlling the Mind) Vol IV Prima Alchemae ( Primer Lab manual) Vol V Discipulus Inceptor (Apprentice Papers) Vol VI Regula (Regulations and rules) Vol VII& VIII Miftach Aben (The Key to the Stone – Adept Papers) Vol IX Aspicio Mens (Advanced Trancework) Vol X Annexes The Alchemist’s Guild © Page 4 A Brief Overview Of This Introductory Discourse “I have found that in this Meditation there are five principle heads, which must be diligently considered, as much by all who are in possession of the wisdom of philosophy as by all who aspire after that wisdom which is attained by our art. The first is the invocation of God; the second, the contemplation of Nature; the third, true preparation; the fourth, the way of using; the fifth, the use and profit. He who does not carefully attend to these points will never be included amoung the real Alchemists, or be numbered amoung the perfect professors of the spagyric science.” (Basile Valentine – The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony - 1602) It is important right from the outset to understand exactly what this introductory discourse seeks to achieve, so that we might focus on what is important and avoid unnecessary distractions, thereby making the most of an intention to study productively. First and foremost it should be accepted that many aspirants who desire and seek initiation via the ancient western mystery tradition often have either extremely unrealistic expectations or a healthy degree of ignorance about the subject. Experience demonstrates that sooner or later either or both of these things will conflict with the reality of training and possibly interfere with the student’s ability to maintain a productive study regime. Thus, whether you are familiar with the mystery tradition, or not, and seek instruction in a particular school or from a specific tutor because you hope the flavour of their particular approach appeals to you, or whether you know little of the tradition, but feel that it has something important to offer in your desire to further your personal spiritual journey - we believe it is important that you learn, before you are faced with accepting or rejecting serious commitment to long term formal study, from someone who has made some headway in this area of expertise. This approach is necessary, we would suggest, where long term commitment to any esoteric school is a consideration. It is particularly necessary where our school of thought is concerned because we provide quite a novel approach to esoteric training. Therefore, in the course of this introductory discourse we present two views concerning the western mystery tradition. Firstly there is the general, historical and popular view. Secondly, there is the particular approach we have developed. It is hoped by covering both areas that the student will develop a good understanding about the tradition itself, and the pros and cons of the approaches to training that have previously been tried as well as the motive behind, and benefits of, our approach to the process. The Alchemist’s Guild © Page 5 Because there are many books published in the realm of popular occultism, which describe in great detail the methods of past and contemporary schools and systems of occult training, it is our stand that the world does not need another college that is simply a repetition of the conventional, popular, standard approach. When the formal training course we provide was being designed it developed around the central idea that for all the complexity of the modern tradition it is agreed that there is an almost complete lack of ability to guide students into advanced states of consciousness and enable them to work real Magick with accuracy and reliability. In other words it is our intention to raise the standard of training in order to attain higher goals than has previously been the norm. In the guise of excuses for failure we hear oft-repeated clichés like “it takes more than one life, and often several, to attain the summit of spiritual aspiration”. This may be true, but when we consider how many shots at the task we have probably already taken we also must consider that it’s likely that we have missed something. Although not everyone is ready for the extremes of success, the Guild insists, based on its experience, that those achievements that are part of the generally accepted lot are far below the actual goals we all should not only be aiming at but relatively easily attaining. Therefore it should be remembered from the outset that our process is result driven. Designed to work fast and effectively and therefore makes use of techniques that are not everyone’s cup of tea. There is no place here for the indolent, the spectator or the tourist. We suggest from the outcome it is better that you withdraw from tuition now rather than waste your time or waste your tutor’s time with a mediocre commitment or disreputable behaviour. The Guild does not want you if you are not 100% committed to the life of an alchemist. We believe that the present low standard of attainment in mainstream esoteric schools has arisen from a general stagnation brought on by an almost complete loss of knowledge concerning the underlying principles which enable the a tutor to successfully lead a student from spiritual impotency back to self empowerment, and through a lack of skill in maintaining the integrity of working groups. Our formal Instruction, therefore, is aimed at educating the student in these basic principles, in a fundamental understanding of the machinery of occult training and practice, devoid of any extraneous and distracting subject matter. By such a method, we suggest, the student who is patient and persistent in our system will be able to apply the tools they have obtained from their training to any system he or she desires, and to turn that system from an impotent toy into a powerful Magickal discipline and way of life. Why have a Tutor as opposed to being self-taught? It is often asked why it is necessary to have the assistance of a tutor for such instruction, when many schools these days seem to do so well without them, giving instruction via correspondence courses. Our assertion is that, primarily, and for the greater number of people who take part in such correspondence The Alchemist’s Guild © Page 6 courses, such instruction is only really providing information of a certain impersonal type. While it is often helpful to have such information, that type of instruction does not constitute effective esoteric training of the kind that leads to serious personal-internal transmutation. The bulk of students who assiduously work away at these kinds of courses simply end up well informed but no better of for want of significant reliable spiritual progress. Therefore, we insist, that such instruction allows the average student to progress to a certain early point of readiness and no further. What is required, if we are to advance into the real work, is the experienced help of a competent guide. Because of the nature of the stages of growth the advancing initiate must pass through it is self evident, to those who have the experience that one cannot progress past a certain early stage, without outside help. For this reason our study course is designed to provide maximum success only when the student desiring to follow this path does so under the guidance of an experience tutor. In order to prove our point, because it seems that the student often demands or requires such proof, that a tutor is necessary, we were motivated to open these documents to semi-public access. In this way we are assured that some persons, with sincere desire to advance in our science, will insist they can succeed in this work both safely and effectively without help, will learn that both safety and effect are undermined by lack of experienced guidance. To such persons who have tried and have lost heart or suffered we only say that this system has been proved to deliver what it offers, but only under the conditions we insist it be applied. Admit defeat and if you desire to succeed seek an experienced tutor. The Alchemist’s Guild © Page 7 Study Night The student should establish a regular study rhythm. In order to assure that a good rhythm is established that includes productive activities we set out below in a series of five steps the exact procedure you should follow each week. First Step: Choose a convenient study period, one night a week, where you can remain undisturbed for at least 1 hour. The exact time should be discussed with your tutor so that you can meet at the agreed time to work together. Adhere to the keeping of this study period religiously. The reason for this is that an attempt to assert your will by encouraging yourself to establish new rhythms will test your degree of commitment to the task. A student with a weak will and little commitment to study will find a way to break or dishonour the commitment to regular study quickly and thereby demonstrate their unsuitability for the task. Second Step: Each weekly study period will then begin by performing the opening prayer and the meditation.
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